just thought you guys would like the hear the explanation for why Time Warner is no longer carrying MSG or Fox Sports NY...i sent them a letter complaining about it & here's what they wrote me:

Thank you for your message to Time Warner Cable.

In reference to your inquiry Time Warner Cable is not removing MSG, Fox
Sports NY, and Metro Channel.

Our contract to carry MSG, Fox Sports NY, and Metro Channel, which are
all owned by Cablevision, expire at the end of this year. For some
time, our corporate office has been negotiating with Cablevision, the
owner of those networks, with a view towards entering into a new contract
with reasonable prices and terms. But Cablevision has notified us
that unless we accept their demand for a substantial increase in fees
under the new contract, they will prohibit us from carrying those channels
beginning on January 1st.
December 17th was set as a deadline for us to hear from Cablevision
with one of two things: Either an offer with reasonable rates for the
new contract -- or the OK to continue to negotiate in good faith beyond
December 31 and keep the channels on for sports viewers however
Cablevision, the owners of MSG, Fox Sports NY and Metro Channel did not agree.
We've been notified by Cablevision that they intend to sue us if we
carry the services after December 31
Cablevision has informed us - - in very clear terms - - that if we no
longer have a contract to carry MSG, Fox Sports NY and Metro Channel,
we are prohibited from carrying these services. We sincerely regret any
inconvenience to our customers during this period and will
automatically credit customer $2 a month if the dispute is not resolved by the end
of the year.
We truly hope this will be resolved before January 1st and are working
towards a fair outcome for all -- Cablevision, TWC and our customers.
We value you as a customer, and please do not take any action until we
know the outcome of this situation.
Please stay tuned to our Weather Channel (channel 72) or TV Guide
Channel (channel 51) for the latest updates which will appear periodically
as a crawl on the bottom of the screen.

If you have any further questions please contact us at
support@twcnyc.com or call our 24 hour Customer Support XPRESSLINE at
212-674-9100 or 718-358-0900.

Sincerely,

Gary Arp-Misrahi
Customer Support

interesting.... who did you send the letter to?

Didn't something like this happen last year too?

Also, is MSG, etc. still off the air right now?

I think at the end of last year there was a threat of removing MSG etc from Time Warner, but it never came to fruition.

Cutting off Cablevision at this early stage of the game signals to me just another rise in the level of contract negotiations. Better to cut off viewers now when no real sports is going on - no NBA, no NHL, only mid-season for baseball, Olypics coming up anyway.

Everyone should send their comments to Time Warner and Cablevision and express their opinion about the channels they want on cable.

i could really care less about that $2 (though i agree, we should be getting that money back NOW)...i just want my channels back...i can't believe they can't continue to negotiate while keeping the channels...Cablevision is like the kid who takes his bat & ball home when they can't have everything go their way at the playground.

stupid corporate babies!

What would not surprise me is that this may be an excuse to turn MSG & Fox Sports into a premium type of channel on Time-Warner, as YES, MSG & Fox Sports are with Cablevision. If you want to have those channels you pay an extra fee for their "sports package," -- which includes all 3 channels -- but they lowered the overall cable costs to subscribers who didn't want the package.

However, I am quite sure that the price for the package, if you chose to get it, was more than the original cost of basic cable.

My personal belief is that because both MSG and YES are owned by the same corporations that own the Knicks & Yankees, respectively, that they are trying to find ways to pay the astronomical costs of their sports franchises, particularly the salaries. I know it is a bit more complex than that, but what they pay their players is the most in their leagues. Guess who's going to pay the bill?

The fans.

Which is one of many reasons those who say "It ain't my money" when the Knicks or Yankees pay huge salaries may be incorrect. Those organizations pay some costs, but the fans are going to pay the price if the corporations that own their teams keep spending like their money pit is bottomless.